After a dry April, the first of May will bring rain to most parts of the country as Brits look towards the bank holiday weekend.
Today’s dry weather should continue for most of the day with highs of 18 °C (64.4 °F) in the south, although some parts of the northwest may start raining if an area of low pressure moves towards the southeast.
Many would have hoped for a sizzling holiday like Easter, which saw the hottest day of the year and Britons flocked to the beaches to soak up the glorious sunshine.
Instead, there will be “choppy” weather from tomorrow as rain clouds move from top to bottom across the country.
David Oliver, the Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist, said: “It’s a different mix of weather this bank holiday weekend after a largely settled week for the UK.
“The anticyclone that has dominated Britain for the past few days will move southwards, allowing a low-pressure system to invade from the north-west.
“This will bring even more unsettled weather with showers or prolonged rains in the north on Saturday and then in the southern areas on Sunday.
“Much dry weather is expected on Monday, with only scattered showers and mild temperatures seen in most areas, largely in the mid-teens.”
Women and children enjoy the pink blossoms in Saltwell Park, Gateshead, as today’s weather brings sunshine across the north before rain starts tomorrow
Park visitors stop to admire the flower canopy that shades the path as expected rain follows blue skies tomorrow
The “more volatile” forecast will bring wet weather moving northwest to southeast over the weekend
Today’s dry weather should last most of the day ahead of the ‘choppy’ bank holiday weekend
Highs of 60.8F (16C) to 64.4F (18C) will be seen today and tomorrow, with temperatures closer to 53.6F (12C) in Gateshead
People enjoy today’s sunshine in a maze in Saltwell Park, Gateshead, before the rains set in tomorrow and sweep across the country
Tourists wrapped up warm as they enjoyed staking on the River Cam in Cambridge ahead of a chilly and overcast bank holiday weekend today
This morning, walkers enjoyed soft pink blooms in Saltwell Park, Gateshead, as the north of Britain saw better weather today, with temperatures between 10C and 16C, ahead of rain starting tomorrow and moving south-west.
Families were drawn to the spring blooms this morning, with two-year-old Aria Bevington playing in a sea of bluebells in a woodland near Wimborne in Dorset.
And dog walkers in Dunsden, Oxfordshire, made the most of the morning sun. The area will see drier weather tomorrow before being hit by rain on Sunday as the weather front moves through the country from Saturday into Sunday.
Tourists wrapped up warm as they enjoyed staking on the River Cam in Cambridge ahead of a chilly and overcast bank holiday weekend today.
Many wore coats and snuggled under blankets as they drove along the historic Backs in the college town.
Met Bureau forecaster Richard Miles said the band of lows will move across the UK this weekend, dampening sunshine expected in the south through Sunday.
The low-pressure system will bring clouds and bursts of rain tomorrow for much of Scotland and Northern Ireland, with some blustery winds in exposed coastal areas.
The “more unsettled” forecast will bring wet weather to the north-west before gradually falling south, bringing clouds and bursts of rain to many southern areas of the UK through Sunday.
Elsewhere tomorrow will remain dry but no warmer than today, with highs between 60.8°F (16°C) and 64.4°F (18°C).
Mr Miles said the wet weather will reach north Wales and northern England by Saturday night. Rain will then sweep across the country on Sunday, although some areas in the south-east could miss out.
After the rain has rolled through, Scotland will see more sunshine on Sunday. There may be some lighter spells breaking through the weekend clouds with light winds and balmy nights.
Two year old Aria Bevington enjoys today’s weather playing with the flowers in a woodland near Wimborne in Dorset
Today’s dry weather should last for most of tomorrow, although some parts of the northwest may begin to rain if an area of low pressure moves southeast. Pictured: Aria Bevington, two, tiptoes through a sea of bluebells in a woodland near Wimborne in Dorset
Flowers grow around the stone circle at Stonehenge, Wiltshire. Today’s dry weather will remain in the south tomorrow ahead of Sunday’s showers
Rain will sweep across the country on Sunday, although some areas in the south-east could miss out
As the low pressure continues, high pressure will build up in the south, keeping it dry on Monday and for the rest of the week. Pictured dog walkers early this morning in Dunsden, Oxfordshire
As the low pressure continues, high pressure is building in the south keeping it dry but with temperatures of 62.6F (17C) to 64.4F (18C) across the UK on Monday is heavily clouded.
By Tuesday, forecasters expect cloudiness in the north and northwest, with intermittent rain, the Met Office reports.
Most of the south will remain dry for the rest of the week as the sunny spells continue. Further north it is likely to be cloudier with light rain.
Some unsettled weather is likely in the north and some central areas over the following week, while the south sees calmer weather and above-normal temperatures.
